At a time when the verismo operas enjoyed great success, the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak turned to the world of fairy tales for his penultimate opera. Finally his hopes were fulfilled and one of his works for the stage was successful. Today Rusalka is as popular with Czech children and adults as Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel is in Germany. With René Fleming in the title role as Rusalka, this production is a rare and outstanding document for a modern staging of this Czech national opera.